Restoration

It might be a clichè to say that we should “expect the unexpected.” Yet because God is fully sovereign, there is a real sense in which we should expect Him to act in ways we have not anticipated because His ...Read More

When the Lord first called Israel out of Egypt, He had not yet given them His law and their sin, however gross, could not measure up to the sins of later generations who knew and wantonly flouted God’s law ...Read More

God has promised to bring full restoration in the new heavens and earth. This is an unconditional promise—it is certain to happen no matter what individual men and women do. Yet this does not mean that all men and ...Read More

Daniel’s prayer that God would not forget His promises of restoration is not based on the inherent goodness of the people but purely on the Lord’s mercy (Dan. 9:1–19). He asked God not to deal with ...Read More

Jesus’ promise of eternal life to all those who believe the gospel was not
new with His arrival, for it was promised by God throughout the history of
Israel. All of God’s people in every generation have known that ...Read More

The necessary response of a holy God to sin is wrath, not love. That means that the Lord’s choice to love His people is not the same as His choice to pour His wrath upon the impenitent. His choice ...Read More

The incredible contribution of Gentiles to the building and restoration of
the church of God demonstrates the accuracy of Isaiah’s passage. Since
the first coming of Christ, Gentiles have been streaming into the Lord’s
Holy City, using their ...Read More

As God’s people were surrounded by their enemies, Israel and Judah often heard these nations asking, “Where is the LORD your God?” (Mic. 7:10a). Because these enemies conquered Canaan with little resistance, they thought Yahweh was absent from ...Read More

Today’s passage says that the full restoration of all things cannot happen until the Jews recognize their Messiah. John Calvin seems to have held this view, and many others have taught it as well. In any case, Zechariah is ...Read More

Even though the citizens of Judah returned to the Promised Land beginning
around 538 BC, the restoration did not take place as God had foretold —
on account of impenitence. Hundreds of years after the return, He sent His
one and ...Read More

In light of the incarnation and the cross, we know that the true shepherd to whom Zechariah refers is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Struck for the sins of His people, Jesus is tied inseparably to the final ...Read More

Christ Jesus our Lord is God’s agent of renewal, the one through whom the Spirit is poured out and whose work on the cross redeems creation. But we cannot benefit from this work, nor can we see Jesus as ...Read More

Restoration requires faith in the Lord, but we are not able to muster up in ourselves faith that will persevere to the end. We need an atonement that covers even our unbelief, and God must create in us new hearts ...Read More

The New Testament makes it clear that we are living in the period of restoration when God is calling His children back to Himself. Jews and Gentiles alike are hearing the gospel and running to Him in faith. Each of ...Read More

God’s grace to His people in the restoration is shown in two primary ways. First, He provides His Son to fulfill perfectly all the requirements needed for Him to restore all creation. Second, He elects a people to salvation ...Read More